Method and means for initially flexing foldable paperboard carton handle portions and the like



Sept. 9, 1958 c, BARKER ET AL 2,850,953

METHOD AND MEANS FOR INITIALLY FLEXING FOLDABLE PAPERBOARD CARTON HANDLE PORTIONS AND THE LIKE Filed March 25, 1957 v 5 Sheets-Sheet l Fig.3

INVENTORS HfiRMO/VD 6.6ENTRY C CHARLES BARKER ATTORNEYS Sept. 9, 1958 c. BARKER ET AL 2,350,953

- METHOD AND MEANS FOR INITIALLY FLEXING FOLDABLE PAPERBOARD CARTON HANDLE PORTIONS AND THE LIKE Filed March 25, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 2,

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IN V EN TORS f/fRMOf/D 6.61%??? 6 BY CHARLES BARKER ATTORNEY-5 Sept. 9, 1958 c. BARKER ETAL 2,850,953 METHOD AND MEANS FOR INITIAL-LY FLEXING FOLDABLE PAPERBOARD CARTON HANDLE PORTIONS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 25, 1957 INVENTORS a [M m VR 5 R MN T K R R 0 E A T GS a a. N L 0 m c M W METHOD AND MEANS FOR INITIALLY FLEXING FOLDABLE S P 1958 c. BARKER ETAL 2,850",9 53-.

I PAPERBOARD CARTON HANDLE PORTIONS AND THE LIKE I Flled March 35, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 year/c144. -+f

MOUNTED AT APPROXIMATELY r 2' r0 5- INL/NAT/ON FROM VERTICA L APPRUXIMA TEL) 2' T0 .5" TILT FROM HORIZONTAL INVENTORS CH 6 BARKER BY ABLE ATTORNEYS METHOD AND MEANS FOR INITIALLY FLEXING FOLDABLE PAPERBOARD CARTON HANDLE PORTIONS AND THE LIKE;

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 25, 1957 INVENTORS MERMOA/D 6. 6IVTRV 5 BY CHARLES BARKER "We 7640M,

ATTO RNA-IVS tat METHOD AND MEAIJS FQR lNITIAlLLY FLEXING FOLDABLE PAPERBQARD CARTQN HANDLE PORTION AND TPE LIKE Application March 25, 1957, Serial No. 648,042

Claims. (Cl. 93-35) This invention relates to apparatus by which paperboard carton handle portions may be initially flexed from an original flatly folded disposition in a paperboard carton structure and thereby freed so as to render them readily manipulable during subsequent use, and to the manner in which the handle portions are freed according to the present invention for this purpose.

Paperboard carton structures are often provided with foldable handle portions formed by some arrangement such as intermediately doubling a portion of a panel of the carton structure and laying the doubled portion flat thereon, after having first formed transverse slits in the doubled portion to define an intermediate length thereof as a handle portion, and then securing the remaining end portions at each side of the handle portion to the carton panel upon laying the doubled panel portion flat thereon. Such an arrangement allows subsequent outward folding of the handle portion to an upright position with respect to the carton panel at which it is formed for use thereat as a carton carrying handle.

However, the slits defining the ends of the handle in the doubled panel portion must initially be pulled free in folding the handle portion outwardly to an upright position, which causes some initial manipulating difficulty. This difficulty results from the fact that slits formed in a paperboard blank leave the adjacent blank portions, until they have once been relatively displaced, in rather tight frictional contact at the slit edges, so as to exert an initial frictional grip thereat that is substantially increased Where the slits occur in a doubled panel portion of the type noted above. The increased frictional grip in such a doubled panel portion is substantial enough to make it possible to tear loose the secured end portions thereof if care is not exercised in initially freeing the handle portion. Also, because the slits defining the handle portion result in exerting this initial frictional grip thereon, the handle portion tends to fold initially as a part of the doubled panel portion and to remain more or less indistinguishable therein until initially pulled free, so that difliculty has been encountered in making apparent the handle structure provided in such cartons.

Copending application Serial No. 641,374 filed February 20, 1957, discloses a paperboard carton structure of this sort in which the inner components of the doubled panel end portions are formed at the edges thereof adjacent the intermediate handle portion with notches, and the related component of the handle portion is formed with tabs originally nested within these notches, so that after the doubled panel end portions have been secured in place the intermediate handle portion may be partially folded outwardly to transfer the tabs thereon outside the outer component of the doubled panel end portions and thereby maintain the handle portion readily apparent and accessible for fully folding to an upright carrying position when desired, while still allowing the handle portion to remain downwardly foldable to a substantially flat position.

The method and means of the present invention may be employed to particular advantage for initially flexing and atent freeing a paperboard carton handle portion of the type disclosed in the above identified copending application, and the invention is described in further detail below in relation to a representative embodiment arranged particularly for that purpose, although it should be further noted that the invention is otherwise generally applicable for similar use in relation to a variety of other comparable arrangements of foldable handle portions or panel members in paperboard carton structures.

Briefly described, the method and means of the present invention is characterized by an arrangement for use in combination with means causing continuous travel of a paperboard carton in the direction of the folding axis of a foldable handle portion incorporated therein. Such means might, for example, be a packaging apparatus of the type disclosed and claimed in U. S. Patent No. 2,751,730 by which paperboard wrapper cartons are serially folded and secured about a package group of cans or the like while the cans are maintained traveling continuously through the machine. As described in further detail below, the apparatus of the present invention may be arranged as an attachment for use on such a machine when the wrapper cartons employed for packaging therein incorporate foldable handle portions that need to be initially flexed for the rea sons pointed out above.

The apparatus provided according to the present invention for accomplishing this purpose comprises generally a handle flexing disc mounted for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the original flatly folded disposition of the foldable handle portion and spaced laterally from the doubled edge of the handle portion so as to extend an annular edge portion of the flexing disc across the traveling path of this doubled edge for insertion beneath the handle portion, together with means for rotating the flexing disc in phase with the continuously traveling paperboard carton so as to act on the handle portion as it passes thereby, as described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a paperboard wrapper carton incorporating a foldable handle portion such as may be initially flexed by the method and means of the present invention to free it for easy manipulation during subsequent use;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of a blank for the carton illustrated in Fig. 1, showing the part thereof in which the foldable handle portion is formed;

Fig. 3 is a corresponding fragmentary plan view show- Fig. 8 is a section detail taken substantially along the line 88 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic plan illustration of the flexing disc, and related operating elements, upon rotation of the disc from the Fig. 5 position to the position at which the leading end of the handle portion is fully freed;

Fig. 10 is a further diagrammatic illustration corresponding to Fig. 9, but showing the flexing disc further rotated to the point at which the related handle portion wedging knife is withdrawn to its retracted position; and

Fig. 11 is a third diagrammatic illustration corresponding to Figs. 9 and 10, and showing the flexing disc further Patented Sept. 9, 1958 H 3 rotated to the point at which the trailing end of the handle portion is fully freed.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, Figs. 1, 2 and 3 illustratea representative paperboard wrapper carton, as. indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, formed in accordancewith the disclosure of the above noted copending application Serial No. 641,374, toincorporate a 'foldable handle portion, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 11. The paperboard carton 10, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, comprises a top wall panelhaving component panel portions 12 and 13, a pair of side wall panels 14 and 15 foldably hinged at the outer opposite edges of the respective component panel portionsl2 and 13 forming the carton top wall, and a pair of bottom wall lap panels 16 and 17 foldably hinged at the respective bottom edges of the side wall panels 14 and 15 and proportioned to overlap at their extending edge portions for securing thereat to form a rectangular four-sided wrapper enclosing two rows of cans C and having open ends as shown in Fig. l.

The foldable handle portion 11 of the wrapper carton is formed by intermediately doubling a panel portion at the carton top wall between the omponent panel portions 12 and 13 thereof and defining the handle portion 11 therein by spaced transverse slits intermediate the length of this doubled panel portion, so that the handle portion 11 consists of components 18 and 19 that are doubled in face to face relation and foldably hinged at the respective inner edges of the top wall component panel portions 12 and 13. The remaining end portions of this doubled panel portion consist of outer and inner components 20 and 21 that are doubled and secured in face to face relation with one of the top wall component panel portions 13 at each end of the handle portion 11, as described further below.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the doubled top wall panel portion incorporating the handle portion 11 is originally doubled from its blank form (see Fig. 2) as a unit so that the doubled handle components 18 and 19, together with the doubled outer and inner end portion components 20 and 21, are folded to a flat disposition overlying the top wall component panel portion 13 (see Fig. 3), and the end portion components 20 and 21 are secured in this flat disposition. In addition, as further disclosed in the above noted copending application Serial No. 641,374, the inner end portion components 21 have notches 22 formed therein at their inner edges adjacent the handle portion 11 and the related handle portion component 19 is formed with tabs 23 originally nested within the end portion notches 22, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, but which may be displaced from this nested position by partially folding the handle portion 11 outwardly, after the top wall doubled panel portion has been laid over and secured fiat as noted above, so that the tabs 23 are transferred outside the outer end portion components 20 in overlying relation thereto, as illustrated in Fig. 1, so as to maintain the handle portion 11 readily apparent and easily accessible for fully folding to an upright carrying position (as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1), while still allowing handle portion 11 to remain downwardly foldable to a substantially flat position.

The present invention provides for automatically manipulating the handle portion 11 initially; so that .it is disposed in the above noted manner for convenient subsequent use, and apparatus arranged according to the present invention for this purpose is illustrated in Figs. 4 through 11 of the drawings. As illustrated, the apparatus of the present invention comprises amounting plate 24 by which it may be attached, as previously mentioned, for operation in relation to means causing continuous travel of the paperboard wrapper carton 10 in series with like cartons, such as the packaging means disclosed in the above noted U. S. Patent No. 2,751,730. When used with the packaging means ofthis prior patent, the mounting plate 24 would be attached to dispose the apparatus for operation on the cartons 10 after they had proceeded through the packaging means to the point where they were located transversely across the top of a package group of cans C or the like tobe, contained therein, and the side walls 14 and 15 had been folded downwardly at the sides thereof.

In any event, the mounting plate 24 is attached to the means by which the cartons it are caused to travel so that an operating shaft 25 carried by mounting plate 24- at a pillow block 26 thereon is disposed for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to the original flatly folded disposition of the handle portion 11, and is spaced laterally at the doubled edge side of handle portion 11 so as to extend an annular edge portion of a disc member 27 on shaft 25 across the traveling path of the adjacent doubled edge of the handle portion 11 for insertion thercbeneath.

Under most operating conditions there is advantage in inclining the axis of operating shaft 25 slightly in a plane transverse to the traveling path of the cartons 10 and thereby tilting disc member 27 to incline the edge portion thereof extending across the traveling path of the adjacent handle portion edge downwardly toward the carton panel in which the handle portion 11 is formed. By this arrangement, the disc member 27 is disposed to operate effectively at the handle portion 11 despite normal unevenness in the height of the traveling cartons due to such factors as the tendency of cans C being packaged in the cartons 10 to ride upwardly on the chines of each other. With .a tilted disposition, the discmember 27 actually serves to eliminate or minimize any such unevenness by exerting a progressively increasing pressure toward its extending edge portion on the carton panel in which the handle portion 11 is formed, while aflording adequate clearance for the leading ends of uneven cartons 10 to travel thereunder to have suchpressure exerted thereon.

desired, as indicated in Fig. 6, when it is attached to the means by which the cartons 10 are caused to travel. The operating shaft 25 is arranged at its lower end for carrying this disc member 27 at a flange portion 28 having the lower face thereof stepped to provide a cen--.

tering plug portion 29 thereat for insertion at a central bore in the disc member 27. The operating shaft flange portion 28 is also arranged at the plug portion 29. to receive fastening means through the central bore of disc member 27 for securing a clamping plate 30 thereon to grip the disc member 27 in place, while allowing it to be loosened readily for adjusting its relative position on the operating shaft 25 whenever desired.

Above the flange portion 28, operating shaft 25 extends upwardly through the pillow block 26, withthrust washers 31 and 32 arranged thereon below and above pillow block 26, and with a set screw collar 33 fixed thereon above the upper thrust washer 32. Spaced further upwardly on the operating shaft 25 is a cam member 34 which is secured to a collar member 35 that is in turn fixedfor rotation with the shaft 25. Immediately above this collar member 35 a clutch hub 36 is likewise fixed for rotation with the shaft 25, while a complementaryclutch sprocket 37 is arranged freely on the shaft 25 directly above the clutch hub 36 and is biased to remain normally engaged therewith by a spring 38, which is disposed over the-upper end of the operating shaft 25 between seating collars 39 and held in biasing relation with respect to the clutch sprocket 37 by a set screw collar 40. From the clutch sprocket 37 a sprocket chain connection 41 extends to the output shaft 42 of a gear box 43 havingan inputshaft at 44, which may be readily connected in any suitable manner so as tobe driven for rotating the disc member 27 at a speed corresponding to the linear speed at which the paperboard wrapper cartons are caused to travel by the means on which the apparatus of the present invention is attached for operation. The biased clutch sprocket 37 provides a release means in the drive arrangement for automatically disconnecting the apparatus of the present invention in the event of jarrnning thereat.

The annular edge portion of disc member 27 that is positioned to extend across the traveling path of the adjacent doubled edge of carton handle portion 11 has an inner circumference (as indicated by the broken line cirele at 45 in Figs. 5 and 9 to 11) arranged tangent to the path of the doubled edge of handle portion 11, and the outer circumference of disc member 27 is such as to make the Width or radial extent of this annular edge portion less than the doubled width of handle portion 11. Disc member 27 is radially slotted across this annular edge portion at the several spaced positions indicated by the reference numeral 46 to form therein two pairs of supplementary annular segments 47 and 48. The leading segment 47 of each pair has an inner arcuate length (i. e., a length at the inner circumference 45) substantially equal to the aggregate length in the carton traveling direction of the doubled panel end portions at each end of the handle portion 11, and a leading edge portion 49 of each leading annular segment 47 is curved from the plane of the disc member 27 away from the top carton panel in which the doubled panel end portions are formed. The trailing annular segment 48 of each pair has an inner arcuate length (i. e., a length at the inner circumference 45) that is less than the length of the carton handle portion 11 in an amount substantially equal to the aggregate width of the radial slots 46 at each side thereof. Each trailing annular segment 48 also has a pair of lugs 5t! respectively fixed thereon along the radial slots 46 at the surface thereof facing away from the top .carton panel in which the handle portion 11 is formed.

For operation in relation to the disc member 27, the mounting plate 24 also carries a pivot bearing at 51 in which a pivot arm 52 is located by set screw collars 53 to position a wedging knife member 54 adjacent the periphery of disc member 27 and in advance thereof with respect to the traveling cartons 10. This knife member 54 is mounted directly on a bracket arm 55 that is fitted with spaced collar plates 56 apertured for disposition rotatably on the pivot arm 52 and between which .a set screw collar 57 may be fixed on the pivot arm 52 as a locating member. The set screw collar 57 is further specially fitted with a finger element 58 extending radially therefrom for disposition below the lower face of bracket arm 55 to carry an adjustment screw 59 thereat for setting the extending inclination of the bracket arm 55 with respect to pivot arm 52. The knife member 54 is also longitudinally adjustable, at an elongated slot 60 therein, with respect to the bracket arm 55 so that the extending tip of knife member 54 may be adjusted in extent, as well as in elevation, in relation to the pivot arm 52 for acting on the handle portion 11 ahead of the disc member 27 in the manner explained further below.

The pivot arm 52, and the knife member 54 thereon, is actuated from the previously mentioned cam member 34 that is carried on the operating shaft 25 above the disc member 27, a cam roller 61 being positioned at cam member 34 on a second bracket arm 62 carried by pivot arm 52 and being maintained in following relation thereat by a spring 63 extended from this bracket arm 62 to mounting plate 24, a bumper means 52' being provided to cushion the inward movement of pivot arm 52 under the'force of spring 63.

Finally, the mounting plate 24 additionally carries an elongated shoe member 64 fixed thereon to ride the doubled top wall panel portion of the traveling cartons 10 in advance of both the disc member 2'7 and knife member 54 for prebreaking the slits therein defining the handle portion 11 so as to facilitate the subsequent manipulation thereof by the knife member 54 and disc member 27. The shoe member 64- is provided with an elongated mounting aperture 65 so as to allow vertical adjustment of its fixed position on the mounting plate 24 for prebreaking action to the best advantage.

The manner in which the apparatus of the present invention operates to manipulate the handle portion 11, so as to free it initially for subsequent use, is illustrated in Figs. 9, l0 and 11 which indicate, more or less diagrammatically, successive operating stages of the apparatus in relation to the starting position shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows the disc member 27 positioned in relation to a fragmentary dotted outline of a carton 10 traveling thereby and just approaching the point at which manipulation of the handle portion 11 thereof is commenced by the apparatus of the present invention. Leading and trailing cartons 10' and 10" are similarly indicated in Fig. 5 in relation to the carton It At the Fig. 5 position it will be seen that a leading annular segment 47 of the disc member 27 has been rotated to a position extending over the leading doubled end portion adjacent the handle portion 11 of the carton 10 to be operated on, and that the wedging knife member 54 is at its retracted position, as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 5, but is just ready to be released by the cam member 34 for shifting inwardly beneath the adjacent doubled edge of handle portion 11 to the dotted line position illustrated in Fig. 5. This inward shifting of the knife member 54 results in prying the handle portion 11 outwardly at its doubled edge so that, while the leading annular segment 47 extends over the adjacent doubled end portion to ride the exposed face of the outer component 20 thereof, the leading edge of the paired trailing segment 48 is inserted beneath the outwardly pried handle portion 11 upon continued rotation of disc member 27.

Fig. 9 shows the disc member 27 rotated from the Fig. 5 position to the position at which the leading end of the handle portion 11 is fully freed. In rotating to this Fig. 9 position, the lug 50 at the leading edge of the trailing annular segment 43 has been carried beneath the handle portion 11 to fold its adjacent end portion substantially outward with respect to the doubled end portion thereat, while the related leading annular disc segment 47 still remains over the adjacent doubled end portion to hold this end portion down and prevent disturbance of its secured flat disposition as the handle portion 11 is freed thereat in this manner. The freeing of handle portion 11 by the disc member lugs 56) is facilitated by the action of the wedging knife member 54 which acts intermediately of the length of handle portion 11 and has a tendency, in prying the doubled edge thereof outwardly, to pull the ends of the handle portion 11 looser at the slits defining these ends and thereby make the outward folding-of these ends easier. This result is further aided by the previously mentioned shoe member 64 that is arranged to ride the traveling carton It) longi tudinally of the doubled panel portion thereof and which may be set to a riding disposition such that it will tend to flex this doubled panel portion and result in prebreaking the slits forming the handle portion 11 as it rides thereover, as Well as acting to hold down the trailing doubled end portion adjacent the handle portion 11 while the wedging knife member 54 and disc member 27 are acting on the handle portion 11 as illustrated in Fig. 9.

Fig. 10 shows the disc member 27 rotated further to the point at which the cam member 34 has again withdrawn the wedging knife member 54 from beneath the handle portion 11 to its retracted position and the active trail-ing annular disc segment 48 is about to carry the lug 50 at its trailing edge beneath the handle portion 11 to free fully the trailing end of the handle portion 11 as illustrated in Fig. 11. At the Fig. 11 position it will be noted that the curved leading edge portion 49 of the annular disc segment 47 adjacent the trailing end of handle portion 11 allowsjclearance for the outward folding of this handle end as itis pulled free by the disc member lug 50. This curved leading edge portion 49 of the annular disc segments 47 also serves the purpose of leading these segments 47 to a riding position on the doubled end portions as each pair of annular disc segments 47 and 48 rotate in turn to manipulate alternately the bandle portions 11 of succeeding cartons caused to travel continuously thereby.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intend ed to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for initially flexing and thereby freeing for. subsequent use a foldably hinged handle portion of a paperboard carton structure having said handle portion formed therein by intermediately doubling a portion of a panel of said carton structure and laying said doubled portion flat thereon, with said handle portion defined intermediate the length of said doubled panel portion by transverse slits therein and with the remaining end portions of said doubled panel portion secured inface to face relation with said carton panel at each end of, said handle portion, said apparatus comprising, for combination with means causing continuous travel of said paperboard carton structure in the direction of the foldably hinged axis of said handle portion, a disc mounted for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to said doubled panel portion and spaced laterally at the doubled edge side thereof so as to extend an annular edge POI-r tion of said disc across the traveling path of said doubled edge for insertion beneath said handle portion, apair' of lugs fixed in circularly spaced relation at the annular edge portion of said disc on the surface thereof facing said handle portion when inserted therebeneath, thecircular spacing of said lugs being less than thelength of said handle portion and said disc being radially slotted at the respective remote sides of said pair of flexing lugs, and means for rotating said disc in phase with the continuous travel of said paperboard carton structure to insert the radially slotted segment of the annular portion of said disc carrying said lugs beneath said foldably hinged handle portion as said paperboard carrier structure passes said disc.

2. Apparatus for initially flexing and thereby freeing for subsequent use a foldably hinged handle portion of a paperboard carton having said handle portion formed therein by intermediately doubling a portion of a panel of said carton and laying said doubled portion flat thereon, with said handle portion defined intermediate the length of said doubled panel portion by transverse slits therein and with the remaining end portions of said doubled panel portion secured in face to face relation with said carton panel at each end of said handleportion, said apparatus comprising, for combination with means causing continuous travel of said paperboard carton in series with other like cartons and in the direction of the folding axis of the handle portion incorporated therein, a disc mounted for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to said doubled panel portion and spaced laterally at the doubled edge side thereof so as to extend an annular edge portion of less width than said doubled panel portion across the traveling path of said doubled edge, said disc being radially slotted at said annular portion to form two pairs of supplementary annular segments therein, the leading'segment of each pair having an inner arcuate length substantially equal to the aggregate length of said doubled end portions and having a leading.

edge portion thereof curved from the plane of said disc away from said doubled end portions across which it is spaced to extend, and the trailing segment of each pair having an inner arcuate length less than the length of said handle portion inan amount substantially equal to the, aggregate width of the radial slots at each side thereof.

and having a.pair of lugs respectively fixed thereon along said radial slots at the surface thereof facing awayfrom the carton panel in which said handle portion is formed, andmeans for rotating said disc in phase with the continuous serial travel, of said paperboard cartons so that said trailing disc segments are alternately presented for insertion beneath the handle portions of successive cartons. traveling thereby, while said leading disc segments ride the-outer face of said doubled panel end portions.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that the axis of rotation of said disc is inclined slightly in a plane transverse to the traveling path of said cartons for tilting said disc to incline the edge portion thereof extending across said traveling path. downwardly toward the carton panel in which said handleportion is formed.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that a wedging knife member is mounted.

adjacent the periphery of said disc and in advance thereof with respect to said traveling paperboard cartons for shifting laterally beneath each handle portion intermediate its length to wedge said handle portions outwardly for insertion of said trailing disc segments, and means is,

provided for shifting said knife member in timedrelation to the'rotation of said disc.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 and further characterized in that an elongated shoe member is fixedto ride the doubled panel portions of said traveling cartons in advance of said disc for prebreaking the-slits therein defining said handle portion.

6. The method of initially flexing and thereby freeing for subsequent use a foldably hinged handle portion of a paperboard carton having said handle portion foldably joined at a panel of said carton and initially laid flat thereon, with said handle portion defined intermediate the length of said carton panel by transverse slits likewise defining end portions secured in face to face relation with said carton panel at each end of said handle portion, said method being carried out while said paperboard carton is caused to travel continuously in series with other like cartons and in the direction of the folding axis of the handle portion incorporated therein, and said method comprisingwedging the extending free edge of said handle portion away from said carton panel intermediate the lengthof said edge while pressing said end portions against.

said carton panelfor maintaining said end portions secured thereat against said wedging action, and then applying oiitward folding pressure between said wedged handle portion and said carton panel and adjacent.the

transverse slits defining said handle portion sufficient to free said handle portion from said end portions at said slits, all in phase with the continuous travel of said carton.

7. Apparatus for initially flexing and thereby freeing,

for subsequent use a foldably hinged handle portion of a paperboard carton having said handle portion foldably joined at a panel of said carton and initially laid fiatthereon, with said handle portion defined intermediate the length of said carton panel by transverse slits likewise defining end portions securcd in face to face relation with said carton panel at each end of said handle portion, said apparatus comprising, for combination with means causing continuous travel of said paperboard carton in series with other like cartons and in the direction of the.

folding axis of the handle portion incorporated therein, means for wedging the extending free edge of said handle portion away from said carton panel intermediate the length of said edge, means for simultaneously pressing said end portions against said carton panel and thereby maintaining said end portions secured thereat against the wedging action of said first mentioned means, means for applying outward folding pressure between the wedged handle portion and said carton panel and adjacent the transverse slits defining said handle portion suflicient to free said handle portion from said end portions at said slits, and means causing operation of all of said means in phase with the continuous travel of said carton.

8. Apparatus for initially flexing a foldably hinged auxiliary panel member of a paperboard structure to displace said auxiliary panel member from an original flatly folded disposition overlying a main panel of said paperboard structure and thereby free said auxiliary panel member foldably in relation to said main panel for subsequent use thereat, said apparatus comprising, for combination with means causing continuous travel of said paperboard structure in the direction of the foldably hinged axis of said auxiliary panel member, a disc mounted adjacent said means causing continuous travel for rotation about an axis perpendicular to the original flat disposition of said auxiliary panel member and spaced laterally from the free auxiliary panel member edge as positioned by said means during the continuous travel of said paperboard structure caused thereby so as to extend an annular edge portion of said disc between said auxiliary panel member and said main panel, at least one lug fixed at said annular edge portion of said disc on the surface thereof facing said auxiliary panel member, and means for rotating said disc in phase with the continuous travel of said paperboard structure to cause said lug to pass between said foldably hinged auxiliary panel member 'and said main panel.

9. Apparatus for initially flexing and thereby freeing for subsequent use a foldably hinged handle portion of a paperboard carton having said handle portion foldably joined at a panel of said carton and initially laid flat thereon, with said handle portion defined intermediate the length of said carton panel by transverse slits likewise defining end portions secured in face to face relation with said carton panel at each end of said handle portion, said apparatus comprising, for combination with means causing continuous travel of said paperboard carton in 3 series with other like cartons and in the direction of the 5 panel and adjacent the transverse slits defining said handle portion sufficient to free said handle portion from said end portions at said slits while holding said carton panel against such handle portion folding, and means causing operation of said cyclically operating means in phase with the continuous travel of said carton.

10. The method of initially flexing and thereby freeing for subsequent use a foldably hinged handle portion of a paperboard carton having said handle portion foldably joined at a panel of said carton and initially laid fiat thereon, with said handle portion defined intermediate the length of said carton panel by transverse slits likewise defining end portions secured in face to face relation with said carton panel at each end of said handle portion, said method being carried out while said paperboard carton is caused to travel continuously in series with other like cartons and in the direction of the folding axis of the handle portion incorporated therein, and said method comprising wedging the extending free edge of said handle portion away from said carton panel intermediate the length of said edge, and then applying outward folding pressure between said wedged handle portion and said carton panel and adjacent the transverse slits defining said handle portion sufficient to free said handle portion from said end portions at said slits, all in phase with the continuous travel of said carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Bergstein July 26, 1938 2,351,670 Desch June 20, 1944 

